


Wingless Freedom

by CorpsCommand2020



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Badass Levi, Dragon Eren Yeager, M/M, Multi, Somewhat follows original story, Supernatural Elements, Update tags as I go, mythical creatures, shifter Eren Yeager
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-03-13
Updated: 2017-03-19
Packaged: 2018-09-29 23:05:21
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 7,861
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10146701
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CorpsCommand2020/pseuds/CorpsCommand2020
Summary: Dragons are just legends right? That's what everyone assumed, believing they had gone extinct after years without a sighting. Now a certain man is faced with quite the dilemma, being faced with the creature whom shouldn't even exist.~Dragon Eren and Levi X3





	1. Legends

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Dragons, the long awaited fic that I've promised to post a long time ago. I'd like to thank everyone for their patience and support! I just hope I can continue to make fun fan-fictions for this lovable pair :3

_Long long ago the world was plagued by beasts of myths and legends, terrorizing the people to the point of caging themselves within three grande walls. The walls, of course, being Maria, Rose, and Sina. They were safe, so long as no one left their walled haven. However, humanity grew restless- and with it, grew bold. Believing they’d be able to find a way to put an end to these fearsome creatures, they ventured out into the lands beyond. Little did these humans know, they’d sealed the fate of all humanity, condemning them by creating a weakness within their once impenetrable fortress._

_Wall Maria fell five years after the first expedition, the beasts learning how to exploit the weaker gates to gain access to the bounty held within. The fall of humanity seemed to be drawing near, the people losing hope as they were forced to fall back further into their walled defenses. The desperation and fear breeding new enemies for them in the form of humans themselves. Jaded and spiteful towards each other, they fought and killed one another, creating wars within the walls which lessened their numbers further._

_This was surely the end; there was no way they’d ever be able to defeat the beasts outside when they couldn’t even defeat the beasts held within. However, one group of said ‘mythical beasts’ had been watching the humans struggle from afar. Being creatures preferring peace over war, they were content to watch as the story played out before them._

_Growing fond of the humans over time, intrigued by their ingenuity and spirit as they continued to fight even when it was a losing battle. Sympathizing with the weaker beings, they could hold back no longer as the humans were wiped from existence. With a new drive in mind, they made their entrance in the war, protecting a group of venturing humans as they were attacked by their wolven kin. The humans were shocked by this display, believing every creature to be out to get them when suddenly, they were being protected by the beasts they’d dreaded seeing the most._

_Dragons_

_With flight capabilities and being known for their power and cunning, they were seen as humanity’s greatest enemy. They were the only creatures who’d have been able to break through their defense without having to use a gate, as they’d easily be able to fly over the walls. However, they were rarely seen during the years leading till now, even when one was spotted, they held no signs of being interested in the humans below. Now they were protecting the humans from the other hostile monsters, confusing and stunning the small group of explorers._

_Following this display, the dragons did something completely unexpected to both humans and all other creatures. They formed an alliance with the humans, promising to help protect and defend them throughout the war. This was the first recorded encounter between humans and dragons, one that greatly changed the outcome of the war for better or worse. With their newly made allies, they were able to take back wall Maria, hopes beginning to soar once more as the reality they’d been dreaming for slowly came true. They were winning, and that meant they wouldn’t have to live in fear anymore…_

“Hey are you even paying attention Levi!”

The young boy rolled his eyes, annoyance clearly written towards his uncle’s rambling. “I already know that story Kenny.” The older man snorted, leaning an elbow on the table while fixing his nephew with a smug smile. “Then please, enlighten me.” With a heavy sigh, the boy fixed his bored gaze upon his uncle, pausing a moment to recollect the story.

“Once the war was over, the dragons turned on the humans, forcing us to fight them to extinction.”

Piercing silver eyes glinted, a mischievous smirk playing on thin lips as he moved closer with startling speed; his breath ghosting over the shell of a pale ear as he whispered “But do you know what really happened?”

A shiver traveled down the length of the younger boy’s spine as he shot backwards as far away from his uncle as he could get. His face was contorted in a scowl as he pawed at his ear, trying to wipe off the invisible germs from his uncle’s breath. “Seriously, you’re drunk again old man.” a rumbling chuckle rolled off his uncle, patting his knees in his merriment. His eyes dancing with mirth and amusement as he took in the disgusted expression his nephew often wore.

“Trust me, it’ll take a lot more than this to get me drunk.”

“Ya ya, whatever you say Kenny. Come on, we should probably be getting to bed anyways.” Eventually, the boy managed to coax his uncle to get up, half dragging, half carrying him up the stairs of their narrow two story house to his room. It’s a good thing Levi was pretty strong even at a young age, as his uncle was by no means a light man.

As Levi helped settle his uncle into the worn mattress of his bed, his uncle grasped his slender wrist, pulling him in close as he whispered “You know, you’re mother would’ve been proud of you.” Something flashed in Levi’s eye, passing so fast his Uncle couldn’t really determine what it was.

The boy said nothing else as he turned to make his way to his own room, pausing in the doorway for a second longer as if contemplating saying something else. After a few more seconds of tense silence, he left, shutting the door quietly behind him. The soft sounds of his receding footsteps echoing through the lonely corridor before fading into the still of night.

 

* * *

 

 

~An indeterminate amount of years later (Third POV)~

 

“Get back here you midget!” ‘Tch, these assholes just never know when to give up do they?’ With an expert flick of his wrists, he changed trajectory, slipping through the narrow gap between the closely packed buildings. Shooting out with blinding speed, he quickly locked onto his next target, firing his grapples into the crumbling stone of the rundown chapel. With inhumane accuracy, he barreled into the small gap of a window he knew to be open; rolling into a crouch-landing with practiced ease before sliding next to the window out of sight.

Sharp narrowed eyes watching silently from the shadows as his pursuers flew past, unknowing of their quarries close proximity. He lay in silent waiting, tensed like a panther waiting to strike its prey from the darkness of the canopy. The seconds dragged on as the whirring and shouts of officers slowly faded, confirming they’d truly lost track of him.

Letting out a breath in relief, he sheathed his blades, the grate of metal against metal sounding sinfully sweet to the accustomed man. “Third time this week, they’re getting awfully impatient aren’t they.” “You can sure say that again.” His blades were withdrawn and pressed against the newcomers throat in a heartbeat, cold steel an extension to fine tuned muscles, reacting to the slightest hint of danger.

He held back though, an annoyed hiss escaping him as he drew his blades away; a thin line of red apparent where the sharp metal was previously placed. “Don’t fucking jump me like that Isabel, I nearly took your head off.” “Yes I can see that.” She grimaced as she rubbed the tender spot, though, rather unaffected by the near incapacitation. Energy and impatience simmering just beneath her skin as she happily skipped over to the grumpy man, tugging him along with little resistance.

“Come on, we’ve been waiting for like, forever for you to show up!”

He rolled his eyes at her obvious exaggeration, knowing full well they’d have only just arrived themselves. He played along anyway, letting her have her way as he was content to be pulled along by the fiery girl he’d grown fond of over the years. They made their way further into the abandoned building, a warm flickering light pooling into the hall ahead as they drew nearer. The red-headed spitfire took a sharp turn into the lit room, her smile mimicking that of a Cheshire cat as she announced their arrival.

“You sure took your time getting back here.”

The ash blonde sitting at the table in front of them turned a calm glance in their direction, a lazy smile gracing his lips as he welcomed his approaching friends. “You can thank the Survey Corps for that, they’re crawling all over the place out there.” A cautious frown formed over his lazy smile as the trio were reminded of their shared burden. Such was the fate of seasoned criminals like them, forced into their positions from the cruelty of circumstance and neglect of society.

Shaking off the gloom of the ever present threat of capture, the raven drew attention to the small stockpile of goods in the corner of the room. “Looks like you two got a good hall.” That cheeky smile adorned Isabel’s lips once more as she basked in Levi’s praise, a rare and treasured gift which was seldom bestowed upon anyone. Farlan celebrated in his own way, a smug expression overtaking his face as he idly looked Levi up and down.

“I guess I can’t say the same for you then. Corps get in the way?”

The raven nodded in frustrated confirmation, still seething from his interrupted operation as those fucking dicks from the Survey Corps decided to intervene. He’d been forced to leave his newly liberated items behind in his retreat, unable to carry such a haul while traveling at such speed. “I swear, now they’re really just trying to get on my nerves. That must’ve been what, the fifth time I had to abandon my shit in the streets?”

Some lucky bastards probably made off with the goods by now, down here it was every man for themselves. No one gave a shit who you were and rarely did anyone get involved in other people's problems, preferring to keep to themselves instead of risking getting involved in some shitty situation. “Whelp better luck next time then big bro.” He nodded in reluctant agreement, just hoping their next mission would go smoother than the past few have.

 

* * *

 

‘Better luck my ass, this has gotta be the worst luck I’ve had in awhile.’

The ebony haired thief glowered from his position, face pressed against the grimy cobblestone streets with the sharp heel of a boot digging deep into his cheek. His hands tied at an awkward angle behind him- rendered useless in this position. “You ready to give up yet chibi?”

His eyes were ablaze like an uncontrollable flame, his pride and will bursting forth in a last ditch effort to escape. His shoulder muscles bunched together, tension thick between the sinews as he steadily lifted his face away from the cracked stone beneath him. An impressed grunt came from above him before the weight abruptly increased, slamming his skull against the cobble with a sickening thump. His ears were ringing- head spinning with the jarring impact; body curling in reaction to the pain.

‘Well that was a fucking brilliant move on my part.’ As the dizziness subsided, he risked glancing up through half-lidded eyes, his vision blurry and unfocused for the most part. There were two figures standing by him now, both fuzzy blobs topped with blonde hair through his eyes. He didn’t have to see the second blonde clearly to know who he was, those icy blue orbs unmistakable even in his condition.

Scowling through his pain, he took a mental note to pay the man back in full for not only humiliating him- but also forcing him to lie upon the filthy street. “Was that really necessary Mike? I doubt he’s gonna be going anywhere any time soon.” The male with his foot still pressed heavily upon the raven’s cheek, shrugged, more of a nonchalant roll of his shoulders than a response. With a bemused huff, the commander crouched next to the incapacitated raven; calculating gaze fixed upon the smaller disgruntled man. Bringing his middle finger and thumb into the ravens line of sight, he snapped a few times, waving back and forth slightly as he checked for a response.

“Fuck off.”

Although delayed, the male seemed to be in more or less good condition, his pupils narrowed but following the movement. “What do you want?” Levi’s voice, dazed, was cold and curt in his address; his no bullshit attitude dominant in his Speech. “Skipping formalities are we? Well I guess we can get straight to the point too.” The blonde stood up, stepping back a few paces before signalling to someone in the shadows. “I believe you are acquainted with these two are you not?”

The raven’s eyes widened before narrowing to slits, his shoulders shuddering with rage as his friends were dragged into the clearing. Isabel was still struggling, hands tied behind her back and held by another survey corps member as she threw her little tantrum. Farlan was thousands of times calmer in comparison, the furrow between his brows being the only indicator to his annoyance.

“Let. Them. Go.”

His deep voice sounded almost guttural with the foreboding threat, an authoritative quality to it that nearly made the lesser foot soldiers obey. They were halted in their actions though, as the blonde raised one arm, the other folded behind his back in a formal pose. He radiated a commanding aura, confidence in his movements as he closed the distance between himself and the raven.

“Now I hate to resort to this but I’m afraid you’ve left me with no choice. So what’ll it be, will you join us?”

 

* * *

 

 

~ 3 years later (Levi's POV)~

 

The pacing was inevitable, but her constant sighs were completely unnecessary. “Isabel, if you’re bored then there’s _plenty_ of cleaning duties you can get started on.” At the mention of cleaning, she shut up instantly, going rigid as a board in her haste. ‘Finally some peace and quiet.’

I still can’t believe we’ve survived three years as the government's dogs. I mean sure, I guess this sort of life is a hell of a lot easier AND cleaner than the one we previously lived, but it still leaves a bad taste in my mouth. Erwin’s been surprisingly more forgiving than I first made him out to be. After all, I did sorta attempt to kill him a few times...but that’s besides the point; the main point is, it’s not that bad once you’ve settled into a routine here.

We were provided lodgings when we first joined, the standard barracks for new recruits, as well as three square meals a day. Once you got past the odd aftertaste of the mystery rations they served, it was rather good and a whole lot better than starving. Over the past three years we’ve served here, I’ve managed to move up in the ranks quickly. Securing myself the position of captain and earning the title of humanities strongest along the way.

Did I care for that title? Hell no, humanity could go fuck themselves for all I care. However, for the sake of my friends, I’ll keep that title for as long as I need to sustain the comfortable life we’re living.

The sound of clopping hooves and wooden wheels over cobble alerted us to the arriving carriage. We both stood at attention, salutes naturally falling to our chest with years of practice. Today our job was to escort some crazies to trial, apparently the job requires both a captain and soldier present to make sure nothing goes wrong.

Personally, I think they’re just being over cautious, that or have nothing better for us to do. Either way, it’s an easy job and a good break from the piles of paperwork I have waiting in my office.

The carriage pulled up next to us, two military police officers stepping out, leading a jittery nervous man behind them. He looked as if he was ready to bolt at any second, if not for the chains around his ankles and hands, I’m sure he would’ve. Isabel and I fell in place behind him, giving the man a few nudges from behind when he tried to stall or took too long. Suddenly, the man stopped completely, wouldn’t budge no matter how much we shoved and pulled him.

An eerie, rumbling cackle rolled off his twitching frame,  his eyes lost to complete and utter madness. “They’re coming for us, they’ll be back and there’s nothing we can do about it.” His head turned towards me, a wide splitting grin on his face, dead eyes opened wide and focused on nothing in particular. “Can’t you hear them? They’re calling us, taunting from the shadows. There’s a reason we still don’t leave these walls.” He was completely lost at this point, facing skywards as he reached towards the blue abyss above.

One of the soldiers must’ve had enough of this man's breakdown, hitting him in the head with the butt of his rifle. “Tch, crazies” The unconscious man was slung over the shoulder of one of the military police officers, grunting and complaining the whole way about having to do more work.

I couldn’t shake the uneasy feeling the man’s muttering left me with, those words haunting me in their wake. ‘What did he mean by they’ll be back?’ I forced myself to push those thoughts to the back of my mind as we arrived at our destination, giving another salute to the military police before heading on our way.

“Well that was rather anticlimactic wasn’t it?”

I glanced at Isabel out of the corner of my eyes, appreciating her attempt at breaking the heavy atmosphere around us, but too distracted to really make much use of it. We were halted in the middle of the hall as a figure came running down the hall towards us. They were completely out of breath when the finally reached us, panting and heaving as they tried their best to catch it.

“Corporal Levi, Erwin has issued an urgent meeting in his office right now!” I rolled my eyes at the seriousness in this new recruits voice, they obviously took commander bushy brows too seriously. Still, I headed down the hall towards Erwin’s office, telling Isabel I’d meet up with her later as I left.

‘This better be important.’

 

* * *

 

 

~Third POV~

The blonde commander sat calmly in his chair, swiveled to face the window overlooking the courtyard. He took another sip of the warm fragrant tea as his ear caught on to the muted sound of approaching footsteps. Three...two...one...bam.

“What the fuck do you want bushy brows!”

He smirked to himself at the aggravated entrance of the undoubtedly annoyed raven. Setting the delicate teacup down on the window ledge, he pivoted his seat so he now faced the rather impatient man. “Patience Levi, we’re still missing someone.” Levi pinched the crease between his brows as he crossed the room and plopped into one of unoccupied chairs. His mercury eyes less focused than they normally are. Before Erwin could comment on them though, the next and last person made their entrance, far grander and more disruptive than Levi’s was.

“I’M HERE, I’M HERE! What’s this whole meeting thingy about?”

It wasn’t entirely Hanji’s fault, she just naturally had a rather boisterous and disruptive personality, which could come off a little strong at times. Now could be included as one of those moments.

“Will you calm the hell down! Why can’t you just enter like a normal person?”

Levi was back to being his grouchy self, scowling at the scientist as she came in and took a seat. “Aw come on Levi, You know you love me!” She went to wrap an arm around the shoulder of the testy raven but halted in her tracks as the sharp tip of a cool blade pressed against her vulnerable jugular.

“If you touch me, I _will_ cut you.”

He made no idle threat, dead serious about cutting her if she placed even one of those god awful greasy fingers on his pristine uniform. “Haha...I like my neck the way it is thank you.” She made a hasty retreat, settling back into her chair and keeping an awkward smile plastered to her face. After a few more moments of awkward silence between the three, Erwin finally spoke up, clearing his throat to get their attention.

“Well I’m sure you’re both wondering why I called you here. Well it seems that there’s been a disturbance around the western forest bordering Shiganshina. We’ve been told to head out and investigate what’s causing all this commotion and put an end to it if possible.”

Hanji had been on the edge of her seat throughout the entire thing, shivering in excited anticipation as she took in Erwin’s words. Levi remained with an apathetic front, looking bored like usual after Erwin’s announcement. “So, we just gotta go into the western forest, kill some shit and get back right?”

Erwin let out a slow exasperated sigh, shaking his head as he confirmed Levi’s statement. “Well I guess you could put it that way too.” Levi stood up, rolling his shoulders and cracking his neck as he prepared for the battles ahead.

“Fine, when do we leave?”

Erwin’s icy, calculating gaze narrowed; his lips pulling into a smirk behind clasped hands as he took in the well trained man before him. He knew he made a good choice with Levi, not a trace of fear in the ebony haired man at the prospect of the danger he could face on this mission.

“Whenever you’re ready.”

 

* * *

 

 

~Levi's POV

 

“Levi wait! We’re coming with you.” That’s was the last thing I wanted to hear from them, yet sadly, as I predicted, they said just that. “No, you’re to stay here and wait for me to get back. Besides, it’s not a big mission, just killing some shit and getting back before dinner.”

Isabel and Farlan exchanged a look, rounding on Levi as they pleaded with him to let them go too. “You said it yourself, it’s an easy mission! Why can’t we go with you?” I sighed in frustration, it could be a real struggle trying to reason with these two knuckleheads at times, especially when that knucklehead was Isabel.

“Look, it’s easier if you guys just stayed here. We want to take as few people as possible so we can keep the mission clean and simple.” Isabel rolled her eyes at her half brother’s lame excuse, muttering under her breath as she pouted and cocked a hip. “What?” “You’re just trying to protect us again aren’t you? Levi we aren’t kids anymore! Farlan and I can take care of ourselves just fine!”

I couldn’t help but crack a half smile at that, ruffling her hair a bit as she just pouted further. “Stay here, that’s an order.” She finally gave in, taking a step back so she was begrudgingly standing next to Farlan. There wasn’t much she could do about it now, seeing as I ordered her to stay as her superior officer.

I mounted my trusty black steed, her midnight mane silky and well groomed with my constant supervision. Casting a last look back towards my friends, I silently promised I would be back soon; before pressing my heels into the sides of my horse to get her to move forward.

Travelling in our small group consisting of: three new recruits, Hanji and I, we sped off at a galloping pace as we headed towards the western edge of Shiganshina. Little did any of us know, what should’ve been a simple mission, was about to change our lives forever.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Special thanks to Heichou Neko (loveybwtm), PlaidPajamas01, and LANc for requesting this and I hope You enjoyed the intro! 
> 
> P.S. The next chapter will be posted sooner than usual since I just wanted to separate the two parts even though I have it all written together in one document X3


	2. Out of Hiding

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I just want to apologize for the late update, I haven't had internet for the past 3 days so it's been really difficult to update or upload anything. So yep, sorry again and please don't kill me!

 

~Levi's POV~

 

The sun was just beginning to set as we arrived at the border of the western forest. The crimson light painting the sky above a bloody masterpiece; quite befitting for our mission as the metallic stench of blood lingered heavily in the air around us, permeating around the thick trunks of ancient oaks.

"Tch, seems like more than a minor disturbance to me."

The horses were reacting quite negatively to the aura those woods were giving out, restlessly pacing away from the trees and whinnying back and forth, ears pressed flat against their heads. The echoing snap of a brittle twig within the forest had all but my horse rearing up, tossing their riders off onto the leaf littered floor below. Bolting away as soon as they were freed, their bleats fading fast as they galloped off. These were military trained horses for fucks sake, meaning it would take a hell of a lot to spook them bad enough to straight up abandon the field.

My horse was seconds away from bolting off herself; tossing her head to and fro, while backing up as far away as she could. I hurriedly dismounted her, stroking her mane with as much comfort I could provide, before stepping back towards the forest and the other stunned soldiers in the process. "Oi, get off your asses; we're on a mission here and unless you're looking to die young, I would highly discourage napping on the field."

The three new recruits stood quickly to attention, dead leaves still clinging to their rumpled uniforms after their little tumble to the forest floor. Hanji on the other hand, took her sweet time; groaning as she sat up. Her glasses hanging loosely off one ear, dangling precariously as she rubbed her eyes with those filthy hands. I held back a grimace as I waited for her to get up, her sluggish movements irking me to no end.

Her odd quirks began to surface as a low crazed chuckle began rolling from her still crouched form, her head bobbing up and down as her body shook. “Man that sure surprised me. I wasn’t expecting such a reaction from the horses.” Her eyes were glinting under the messy bangs that fell over them, one of those insane looks she normally gets when seeing a new experiment, plastered over her features as she stood up. “Shall we?”

 

* * *

 

 

A hush fell over our party as we entered the suspiciously silent woods, everyone on high alert for any signs of danger. My own hand rested impatiently upon the hilt of my blade, the feeling of cool steel brushing up against my fingertips calming the feeling of unease that draped over me. The stench of blood grew the further we traveled, no doubtedly getting closer to the source of that foul stench. At this rate, I wouldn’t be surprised to stumble upon an entire massacred village with the intensity of the scent. I could tell the smell was starting to get to some of the younger recruits too, their faces creased with worry and distaste as the held their hands to their noses to try and block out the potent stench. Not like it would do much anyways.

The lighting had significantly decreased in the time since we first entered, making navigating through the dense foliage near impossible. “This is ridiculous! We aren’t going to find anything at this rate!” Just great, now one of these little shits is gonna start throwing a hissy fit. It took all of my patience not to simply strangle them on the spot. I may have gotten a little better at interacting with people beyond my group of friends, but that doesn’t mean I’ll willingly subject myself to dealing with an adult whose acting like a barely potty trained toddler.

I shot them a cold glare instead, not trusting my usually loose tongue to make this situation any better. It seemed to work though, the recruit nearly pissing himself as he simply went silent and continued to follow us. Just as suddenly as the recruit went silent, a crunching of dry leaves began next to us. My head whipped around to face the source as soon as I heard the first brittle leaf cry out, yet to no avail. The most I managed to glimpse was the flicker of a shadow, so minuscule it may as well have been a mouse.

I tried my best to shrug off the encounter, the feeling of eyes still boring into me as we moved further into the dense foliage. From the looks of it, I was the only one who felt this way. The other recruits, while still being tense, didn’t seem to notice that intense gaze that was burning a hole in the back of my skull. ‘Stop it! You’re just paranoid, focus on the mission Levi.'

A howl sounded off in the distance, foreboding in the way it seemed to permeate the air around us. Whatever it was, it was still a long ways off, but that wasn’t so comforting when you couldn’t pinpoint exactly which direction it was coming from; the howl echoing all around the clearing as if it came from all around us.

This isn’t good, if that howl belonged to the creature I think it did, then we’re in for some major trouble if they’re targeting us. They never hunt alone, they’re fast as lighting and silent as snow. Wolves, animals whom rarely show themselves within our walls but there have been reported sightings recently around this area, we shouldn’t have been surprised. Even still, they’re just dumb mutts, they may have numbers, but we have the intelligence; meaning we have the upper hand in this fight.

As soon as I gave the signal, everyone had withdrawn their blades, each of us moving into a defensive position so we covered every side. Another howl sounded off in Hanji’s direction, far closer this time and menacing in nature. These wolves were indeed picking a fight with us, but something was off, their howls don’t sound...normal.

I guess the pressure was too much for one of the recruits, suddenly screaming and running in the direction the howl came from, blades at the ready overhead. “You idiot! Get back here!” It happened so fast, I’m not sure I can even trust what I saw to be true. The moment the recruit set foot within the shadows, a large clawed hand reached forth and yanked his leg further into the darkness, he was whisked from sight in an instant- his scream cut off half way. A sickening crunch and gurgle coming from the direction he disappeared in before everything went silent once more.

I was frozen, speechless at what I just witnessed. Buried memories of my childhood started to spring forth, the raspy sound of my uncle's voice sounding close to my ear, as if he was hovering right next to me. “What if the monsters never really disappeared? What if they’re just hiding somewhere we can’t see them?”

Fuck, now’s not the time to be reminiscing about the past, we have to get to higher ground fast! “In the trees NOW!” Before I even finished giving out my command, I was already shooting up into the safety of the tree tops, landing on a relatively thick branch and looking back to make sure the others made it.

To my horror, only Hanji seems to have moved fast enough, the other two recruits still fumbling with their gear as they tried to aim with shaking hands. The one closest to the woods went down first, jumped by two of those horrid wolf like beasts, getting ripped apart before they even had a chance to drag him back into the safety of the shadows.

The second managed to fire their grapples, they made it five feet off the ground before another one of those...things launched up at her. It’s jaws closed around her ankle with a gruesome crunch, before it dragged her back to the ground. Their screams rang throughout the entire forest, it was too sickening to watch the rest, I had to turn away from it all.

Even Hanji was slightly disturbed, her head turned away while her eyes still regarded the beasts with crazed passion. How she could still be so interested with things like these while they were tearing into other recruits, I can never understand. They’d polished off the two recruits with terrible speed, only scraps of their uniform and gear remaining once they’d finished their ravishing.

There were a total of about five of them gathered in the clearing below, their pelts glowing silver and black where blotches of crimson blood stained their fur. They maintained a mostly wolfish appearance, pacing around on all fours, yet they were far too large to be regular wolves. They also had separated fingers on their two front legs, grotesque black claws attached to the ends of each of their horrid fingertips. Their eyes glowed an icy yellow, sharp with hints of what could be intelligence in their depths. Yet, it was hard to imagine these beasts being smart with the way they devoured their last two victims- with an animalistic nature.

My blood froze as those cold eyes narrowed in on us, a paralyzing effect created by those luminous yellow orbs. I was knocked out of my trance when the tree shook, they were beginning to try to claw their way up the bark. “Crap, we gotta move!” I grabbed a fist full of greasy brown hair and tugged Hanji along behind me, knowing she’d probably just fawn over them as they tore her apart. Luckily, she seemed to finally grasp the seriousness of the situation and began running by herself.

We ran along the branch as far as we could before launching off to the next tree, trying our best to conserve as much gas as we could. The trees were mostly close together thankfully, so we were able to jump between the gaps with little burst of gas here and there. I didn’t have to look down to know those things were hot on our heel, the thrumming of pursuit and occasional howl enough to let me know how close they were.

I guess I must have pretty shitty luck today, landing on a broken branch which snapped under my weight. I cursed as I began to plummet, managing to fire my grapples into the next tree, slowing my fall but not stopping it. The landing was awkward and knocked the breath out of me momentarily, when I tried to stand up, fiery pain shot up and down my left leg.

“Fuck!”

Must’ve twisted it in the fall, this is just fucking peachy isn’t it. “Levi! Hold on, I’m coming down.” “Don’t you dare come down here shitty specs, get back to the base and tell Erwin what’s happening. I can take care of myself!” She paused for a second in the branches above me, conflicted between following my order and abandoning her friend.

There wasn’t much time to be indecisive though, as the sound of pursuit was rapidly drawing nearer. “GO!” I saw a brief flash of pain cross her features before she left, regret that she couldn’t help me perhaps. I wasn’t going to give up just yet though, I promised Isabel I would be back, and I never break my promises.

I forced myself to my feet, leaning heavily on my right side as I withdrew two new blades, the old ones snapping during the fall. The first one burst into the tight clearing, jaws bloody with saliva dripping out of the corner of its panting mouth. Fucking disgusting creatures. I didn’t give it time to react, shooting towards it as quickly as I could with a limp and aiming for it’s leg tendons.

It was shocked, I must’ve been the first of it’s prey to actually fight back. It let out a vicious snarl as it collapsed, it’s eyes wild and blinded over with rage. I was prepared when it made a lunge for me, thrusting my blade as deep into it’s throat as I could, twisting the sharp metal inside the creature before slicing downwards.

A spray of blood sprung forth from the gaping wound, the leaves and trees around us staining black with the beasts blood. It let out a strangled howl before falling lifeless in a pool of it’s own blood, it’s body jerking and convulsing as the life was drained out of its system. The sudden burst of adrenaline began to subside as I stared at its corpse, the pain flaring up once more as I leaned against the trunk next to me. I looked down at the broken blade in my hand, the metal snapping on it’s way out of the creatures thick hard skin.

Those were my last set of blades, I didn’t have any extras with me at the moment. Well, I’m royally fucked now aren’t I? My last good leg gave out on me, sliding down the thick trunk as my energy began to fade. Ah well, I had a good run...I’m sorry Isabel, Farlan, I don’t think I’ll make it out of this one. I was already beginning to make out the glowing yellow eyes in the shadows, the other wolfish creatures will no doubt make quick work of me. Closing my eyes, I accepted my fate, knowing there was no way out of this situation.

That burning sensation began again, except this time it bore into my forehead, that same gaze was fixed upon me. Wait a minute...those wolf things were looking at me before and I didn’t feel like this, so what’s causing this feeling? My eyes shot open as I searched the clearing, ignoring the approaching silver pelts as I sought the source of that intense gaze.

My focus was brought back to the beasts before me as hot breath ran down my neck, bringing me face to face with one of those ugly mutts. It’s breath stinking of raw meat and blood. A last surge of defiance swept through my system as I stared into those condescending eyes. With the last of my strength, I brought my right hand up and flipped the creature off, watching as it’s lips pulled back in obvious displeasure before it’s head shot towards my hand- jaws open ready to tear my hand off.

That was when I saw it, barely more than a flicker of a movement as a spear shot out of the leaves and lodged itself deep into the back of the beast's skull. The head of the spear protruding through it’s mouth close to my hand as it’s body went rigid, finally collapsing after a few more gravity defying moments.

The other three wolf creatures immediately whirled around to face the direction the spear came from, their hackles raising as deep throaty snarls rolled off their aggravated forms. One of them barked into the trees, ending it’s fit of barking with a low threatening growl as they paced closer to the shadowed woods. There was a second of tensed silence that followed, broken by the rustle of leaves as a figure leaped down into the clearing.

It was...a boy? It was hard to tell his age as he wore a mask that covered the upper part of his face, an odd design carved into the pale white surface. His upper body was bare, the lower half covered by loose fitting pants. It was almost comical how fast the once aggressive wolves turned into cowering pups in the presence of this barely garbed boy.

His head tilted slightly in my direction as they wolf creatures began to back away, their forms tensing as they looked between each other in fear. What the hell is going on here? Suddenly, the wolves darted off, yipping and yelping between one another like scared little pups as they made their retreat.

The boy’s face turned in their direction as he watched them flee, his head cocking to the left slightly as if contemplating something. Eventually he came to a decision, walking towards the limp body of the wolf before me and pausing to remove the spear lodged in it’s skull. Once he’d removed the spear, he wiped the bloody tip on the grass beside his feet and turned to me. Even though I couldn’t see his eyes, I could feel them, that same intense gaze I’d felt before.

My vision was starting to blur as my energy drained completely. Without the threat of death lingering right around the corner, my mind was finally beginning to shut down. The last thing I saw, was the boy crouch down beside me, tilting his head in that contemplative way once more, as he watched me drift off.

 

* * *

 

 

I don’t know how long I was out for, but the next thing I knew, I was waking up on a soft cushiony mat. The pain in my leg had faded to a dull ache, much more manageable than the throbbing torment from before. I slowly opened my eyes, taking in the flickering orange light playing across the rocky ceiling above. Blinking a few times, I began to sit up, wincing as my head spun from the slight movement.

As soon as I winced, I felt a gentle but firm hand rest on my shoulder, pushing me back into the cushiony mat from before. “Oi what the fu-” It was then that I saw him again, that same masked boy sitting next to me facing the fire, His hand still pressing me back into the mat. “Tch, will you get the fuck off me brat, I’m not a delicate little flower you know.”

He tensed when I addressed him, his face turning away from the fire to face me. I could only guess what sort of expression the boy wore under that mask, the corner of his lip twitching in either annoyance, surprise, or amusement. Eventually, he turned his attention back on the fire, removing his hand from my shoulder as he did so.

I got up as soon as he let go, immediately regretting the decision as the dizziness returned full force, making the room spin around me. I clutched my head in my hands as I waited for the spinning to stop, groaning slightly as nausea overtook my senses. A gentle sigh sounded next to me, startling me with its sudden occurrence.

“That’s why you shouldn’t have gotten up so fast.”

I peeked up at the boy sitting next to me, watching as his face remained more or less neutral while continuing to stare at the flickering flame. “So you can talk huh?” His lip twitched again at that, his hands fiddling around with a loose fold in his pants as he remained silent. “What? You not allowed to speak or something?” He fully frowned this time, turning so he was facing me again, his mouth opening slightly as if he was about to respond, but then thinking better of it and turning away again.

“You shouldn’t even be here. Leave now, and I’ll spare you this time.”

Is this brat really trying to intimidate me? His little trick may have worked on those mutts back there, but hell if they’d work on me. I rolled my eyes at his little attempt to be intimidating and crossed my arms, casting him a bored and uninterested look. “And what if I don’t feel like it?” His head whipped towards me with insane speed, mouth agape as he stared at me in what I’m almost certain was shock. “Wh-h-a?” It’s seemed pretty obvious to me this kid wasn’t used to getting talked back to, judging by the way his mouth just kept opening and closing like a fish.

He quickly regained his bearings, his lips sealing into a firm line as he shifted his entire body so he was facing me now. “I said leave now, or else.” “Or else what brat?” He was standing in the blink of an eye, towering over my still seated form as he yelled out “LEAVE!” The fire behind him bursting into a large brilliant flame before flickering out behind him. The only light remaining coming from the still smoldering embers in place of the logs that once fueled the fire. I couldn’t tear my gaze away from him, astonished by that display.

I wasn’t even sure if it was him that caused the flame to burst like so, but seeing as there was no other logical explanation, I just continued to stare at him with stunned surprise. He continued to tower over me, his lips flattened back into the neutral expression he wore before, skin seeming paler too- but maybe that was just the change in lighting.

If I hadn’t been gazing at him so intently, I wouldn’t have noticed when he started to sway, his knees buckling under him before finally giving out. “Shit-” I only just managed to catch him in time, straining my leg in the process, but it was well worth what I saw next. His mask slid off when we hit the ground, clattering to the floor behind me as the boy remained limp against my torso. His brows knit together as he put one hand on my chest and the other on his head, pushing against me so he was now sitting up- straddling my chest.

His eyes gently fluttered open, exposing two absolutely breathtaking orbs. They seemed to glow in the dark, almost like the wolves from before, but with a comforting warmth instead. The color was truly rich, vibrant shades of cyan, forest green, honey yellow, and gold all dancing together in a harmonic swirl within those depths.

They were exotic in nature, his pupils narrow and cat like, adding to their beautiful and stunning charm. It was the type of eyes that one simply couldn’t tear their gaze away from, you could get lost in those eyes for days and not even realize it. As soon as he came back to full attention, his face heated with a delicate flush, the color quickly draining from his cheeks when he noticed the mask lying beside my face.

He lept off me, grabbing the mask with him as he swiftly replaced it, hands shaking in the process as if he’d just revealed a major secret. He looked back towards me once before darting out of the cave, scooping his spear off the ground as he took off. I didn’t even have time to react, still rendered motionless from the sight of his eyes.

Who the hell was that boy?

 

(What Eren sorta looks like)


	3. A Notice

ok, so I gave been a really shitty author. I just started exams now and before this I dunno, just got a solid case of writers block! So, I must apologize for leaving everyone hanging for so long. As soon as my exams have finished, I will be revisiting and trying to catch up on all of my stories!

For now, here are some pictures I've drawn to bridge the gap and just give you guys a little sneak peak into coming chapters!

the chibi eren is actually for my story more than a monster, but you'll find out why later :3

Thank you again for all your support, and I hope I can give you guys a great update soon!


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